§ Captain C. BATHURSTasked the President of the Board of Trade if he is aware that, in spite of the recent heavy fall in the market price of wheat all over the country and of the fact that the quartern loaf of bread is now being sold in Lincolnshire and other counties at either 7d. or 7½d., poor people in the south and west of England are still being charged 8d. per loaf; and whether any and, if so, what steps are being taken by the Board to put a stop to this difference in charges?
Mr. RUNCIMANThere has never been a standard quality of bread common to all districts and, largely owing to this fact, there have always been variations in price. The following tables, however, show that, 581W while the price of bread in the south and west of England advanced less than in Great Britain as a whole in the year ended 1st September, 1915, the fall since 1st June has been greater than the average fall.
I.—COMPARISON OF PREDOMINANT PRICE OF BREAD per 4 lbs. at 1st September, 1914 and 1915. District. 1st Sept., 1915. 1st Sept., 1914. Rise since 1st Sept., 1914. d. d. d. London: N. & N.W 7¾ 6 1¾ E. & N.E 7¾ 5¾ 2 S.E. 7½ 5¾ 1¾ S.W. 7¾ 6 1¾ W. & W.C 8 6¼ 1¾ Northern Counties and Yorkshire, Lancashire and Cheshire 8 6½ 1½ Midlands 7¾ 5¾ 2 Eastern Counties 7¾ 6 1¾ Southern Counties 8 6½ 1½ South Western Counties and Wales 7¾ 6 1¾ Scotland 8¼ 6¼ 2 Great Britain 8 6 2
II.—COMPARISON OF PREDOMINANT PRICE OF BREAD per 4 lbs. at 1st June and 1st September, 1915. District. 1st June, 1915. 1st Sept., 1915. Amount of Fall since 1st June, 1915. d. d. d. London: N. & N.W. 8¾ 7¾ 1 E. & N.E 8¾ 7¾ 1 S.E. 8½ 7½ 1 S.W. 9 7¾ 1¼ W. & W.C. 9 8 l Northern Counties and Yorkshire, Lancashire and Cheshire 8½ 8 ½ Midlands 8¼ 7¾ ½ Eastern Counties 8½ 7¾ ¾ Southern Counties 8¾ 8 ¾ South Western Counties and Wales 8¼ 7¾ ½ Scotland 8¼ 8¼ — Great Britain 8½ 8 ½